The Kilimanjaro Safari Animals: 12 to Learn About

Kilimanjaro Safari animals & stories delight kids and adults alike. At home, satiate your little animal lovers’ appetites while you learn about them.

Live animals on the Jungle Cruise, as Walt imagined, may not have been possible. But when Animal Kingdom was designed, Joe Rhode and the other Imagineers brought Walt’s dream to fruition — in Kilimanjaro Safaris. Through the story, Kilimanjaro Safaris tries to educate guests both about the animals and the threats they face.

Touring Tips for Kilimanjaro Safari

• Make it your first ride for great animal activity. But if you’re there when the days are shorter, go on your way out of the park. As the sun goes down, the safari animals come out.
• If you’ve ridden it once, you’ve ridden it once. Every time is a new experience — different active animals, different animal behaviors, different narration details.
• Gorilla Falls trail sets just off to your right as you exit. Resist the temptation to skip it & run for Expedition Everest. It’s a quick walk-through and gets you a little closer to the silverbacks & other animals from the safari.

Did you know?

1. All of Magic Kingdom could fit inside Kilimanjaro Safari with room to spare. (107 acres v. 110 acres)
2. The safari is designed to get the animals near you — by the placement of their feeding centers, the air-conditioned rocks for the lions, etc..
3. It’s also designed to keep Kilimanjaro Safari animals in their own space. Features like moats & chains on the road discourage animals from wandering into other areas.
4. The elephants produce a LOT of manure every day, which Disney uses as fertilizer around the World.

Safari Animal Resources

• African River live cam
• African animal cards (for littles)
• 5 Stories of Successful Animal Conservation
• San Diego Zoo Kids’ Corner

Animals of Kilimanjaro Safari

Nile Crocodile

• Did you know? Fish make up about 70% of the Nile’s diet.
• Read Bill & Pete Go Down the Nile
• Watch Nile Crocodiles v. Saltwater Crocodiles

Springboks

• Did you know? Springboks can go through the entire dry season without drinking water. In extreme cases, they can go their whole lives obtaining water only through their food.
• Watch “Jumping” (pronking) Springboks

Watusi-Ankole Cattle

• Did you know? Watusi cattle’s signatory horns can weigh up to 15 pounds EACH!
• Watch How did cattle spread across Africa?
• Learn Disney Talks Ankole Cattle

African Elephant

• Did you know? Elephant herds only walk as fast as their slowest member. Young elephants and other vulnerable members walk in the middle, so they are protected.
• One & Only Ivan
• The Elephant Whisperer (Free if you have Kindle Unlimited)
• Watch Baby Elephant’s First Bath
• Watch African Elephants Released Back into the Wild
• Learn Disney Talks African Elephants

Mandrills

• Did you know? The colorful faces of mandrills give us a hint about a Lion King character. Rafiki is actually a mandril!
• Watch Mandrills | Disney Animals

Hyenas

• Did you know? Hyenas aren’t just scavengers. They’re also skilled hunters and will go head-to-head with lions to fight for same food source.
• Hyena v. Honey Badger: Who Would Win?
• 12 Incredible Hyena Facts
• Watch Why Do Hyenas Laugh?

White Rhino

• Did you know? As the second largest land animal, white rhinos can weigh as much as 30 men!
• Last: The Story of a White Rhino
• Watch The Caretaker of the Last Two Northern White Rhinos
• Learn about rhinos from the San Diego Zoo

Ostriches

• Did you know? Ostriches don’t actually bury their head in the sand. They do bury their eggs, though, and they need to be rotated several times a day. This observation is the root of the confusion.
• Read I Want an Ostrich
• Watch How to Protect Ostrich Eggs
• Watch 3 Odd Facts about Ostriches
• Ostrich lapbook (for littles)

Storks

• Did you know? Storks reuse their nests year after year. They add to it each year, so nests can reach 2-3 meters deep and wide. Both the male & female stork construct the nest.
• Read about the mystery of white storks in Armenia
• Watch Shoebill Storks
• Watch The spear-wielding stork who revolutionized science
• Learn Disney Talks Storks

Flamingos

• Did you know? The coral feather color that flamingos are known for comes from the food they eat. Carotenoids, the pigment that gives tomatoes & carrots their coloring, are found in food that flamingos eat, too, like brine shrimp.
• If I Knew a Flamingo
• Why are flamingos pink and other flamingo facts
• Watch These Flamingos Have Sweet Dance Moves
• Watch Flamingos! Fun Flamingo Facts for Kids
• Learn Disney Talks Flamingos

Wildebeests 

• Did you know? Wildebeests (Dutch for wild beast) are a type of antelope.
• Dear Wandering Wildebeests & Other Poems from the Water Hole
• Watch Wildebeast return to grassland plains
• Watch Underwater Ambush (please preview it first)
• Read more facts about the wildebeest
• Watch Wildebeest | Amazing Animals for Kids

Okapis 

• Did you know? While they look like they should belong to the zebra family, okapis are actually part of the giraffe family.
• Watch Okapi | World’s Weirdest Animals
• Watch Kwasi the Okapi | Meet an African Unicorn
• Learn Disney Talks Okapis

Can’t be there?

When we can’t be there, the next best thing is a great ride-through video.